Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Creamy Pasta with Veggies and BBQ Chicken

I usually take a break from cooking on the weekends, but this past Sunday was different. The weather was nice and cool for a picnic, so I whipped this up and off we went! It's not your typical picnic food but it worked for us and the kids loved it!

Ingredients:

12 oz pasta of your choice (I used Vegetable Radiatore)

1 Pint Heavy Cream

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 lb fresh broccoli, cleaned, cut into small pieces, and steamed

3 oz sun dried tomatoes (I used the packaged/dry one)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups reserved pasta water (from boiling pasta)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast cutlets, thinly sliced

BBQ Sauce

-Start off by marinating your chicken with BBQ sauce. Crush some black pepper and mix well. You can either grill your chicken right away or let is marinate in the fridge until you're ready. After grilling my chicken in my cast iron griddle pan I cut it into small pieces using my kitchen sheers.

-To prepare pasta:

-Boil your pasta according to package directions and save some of the water as you drain it.

-Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot, add garlic and sauce til fragrant and golden. Add sun dried tomatoes and saute for 30 seconds then add heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Heat sauce then add broccoli and pasta.

-Add 1 cup of pasta water at this point and gently mix in. If you want your sauce to be lighter you can add more water. I suggest adding it gradually until your sauce reaches a consistency you enjoy.

-Over medium heat bring to a boil then reduce heat and let it simmer for a few minutes. Now it's time to taste it. Feel free to add a bit of salt or pepper if needed.

-Top with grilled chicken and enjoy.

P.S: If you're trying to cut down on carbs you can make the sauce and instead os pasta add cooked spaghetti squash. I've tried it before and it's delicious!